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Watauga voters split votes in yesterday’s election, voting for Mitt Romney and Pat McCrory for President and Governor, while Avery, Ashe, Wilkes, and other surrounding counties voted decidedly for Republican candidates. But in other races, Watauga voted only one Republican into office,
that in the Watauga Commission race, where Perry Yates beat Virginia Roseman, 52 to 47 percent. The other two seats, vacated by Democrats, will be held by newcomers John Welch, who left the Board of Education to run for Commission and beat the only incumbent running, Vince Gable 53 to 46%; and Billy Kennedy, who beat Tommy Adams 51 to 48 percent. Speaking of the Board of Education, Watauga voters liked four candidates about equally—but only three can win, so the unofficial totals in that put Barbara Kinsey in with 10,882 votes, Brenda Reece at 10,800, and Ron Henries with 10,629. But only 102 votes behind was Jay Fenwick, so a final seating in that race might await canvassing of the vote. Avery, Ashe commissionIn Avery, 74% of voters voted a straight Republican ticket, as did almost 62% of Ashe Voters. The Avery vote put Martha Jaynes Hicks, Robert Reo Griffith, and Kenny Poteat on the board, lone Democrat Douglas Owen losing out, while in Ashe, it was Larry Rhodes, Gary Roark, and Gerald Price—all Republicans, taking the three seats in the contest.US House, Regional NC SeatsIn spite of losing in her home county of Watauga, Virginia Foxx handily defeated Elisabeth Motsinger to return to the 5th Congressional Seat in Washington, while Mark Meadows won the 11th District seat from Hayden Rogers. Dan Soucek won a second term in the 45th NC Senate seat, while Jonathan Jordan beat Cullie Tarleton for the 93rd house seat, with Ashe voters in his home county again putting Jordan over the top in that race.